kkoeber



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.l

FREDERICK XV. KROEBER, OF ST. HELENA, CALIFORNIA.

SAFETY-RAIL AND REIN-GRIP FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 335.288, dated February 2, 1886.

(No mndvl.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK WILLIAM KROEBER, of the town of St. Helena, county of Napa, State of California, have invented an Improvement in an Attachment to Vehicles Drawn by Animals, and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention consists of a safety-rail. A, of iron or other suitable material, of sufficient thickness to secure the necessary strength, made of one continuous piece without joint, and secured to the body of the vehicle with half-staples and bolts,A as shown in the accompanying drawings. The rail A has a loop, B, at the right-hand side. (Shown in the drawings.) Attached to the rail A is a rein grip, check, or holder, C, for purposes hereinafter mentioned. Attached to the rail also, and forming part of the rein holder, is a thimble, D, made of leather, rubber, or other suitable material. This thimble may be attached in the manner shown or with rivets, or in the shape of a round tube as, for instance, a sec- `tion of gutta-percha hose.

Figure l is a front view of the apparatus; Fig. 2, a side view, and Fig. 8 is a sectional view.

Fig. l shows the loop B, to be partly elevated above the horizontal rail A. Fig. 2 shows the curved bracee, while Figs. 2 and 3 show the manner in which the reins are securely fastcned.

In Fig. lis shown one of the halfstaples wherewith the apparatus is secured to the body of the vehicle.

I will now proceed to explain the purposes of my invention. The safety-rail A is to guard the driver against accidents-such as being drawn over the dashboard by the reins or being thrown under the animals feet by the front wheels dropping suddenly into a hole, the breaking of an axle, or in case of a runaway, and, in consequence thereof, the vehicle coming into violent collision with some opposing object. I claim that in either case or in any other the safety-rail will enable the driver to recover himself and retain control over his animals. The loop B is for the purpose of a hand hold to assist in mounting and dismounting the vehicle. The elevated portion of the loop shown in the drawings is a guard to prevent the lines or reins from slipping off the horizontal rail A on the righthand side. The horizontal rail A will support the weight ofthe reins, thus rendering the act of holding the reins much less fatiguing than as at present without the attachment. The rein grip or lock acts upon the principle of the lever-the heavier the strain on the reins the lirnier thegrip. As can be seen at aglance, the reins of one or more animals can be fastened instantly by the driver letting them slide from the horizontal rail A upon the lever C on top, and by a single motion of the hand slipping them under the grip formed by the lower end of the lever C pressing against a projection on the vertical rail A. In like manner the reins can be released instantly. The thimble D is attached to prevent or subdue any noisy rattling of the apparatus; but practical use may prove that it can be dispensed with.

I claim that the rein-grip alone will be a great means of safety and convenience to guard against animals starting during the absence of the driver, and will completely obviate the present clumsy, unsafe, and tedious method of fastening the reins around the whip-socket, dashboard, or other convenient projection which maypresent itself. To peddlers,butch ers. bakers, milkmen, and others of like pursuit it will certainly be a great convenience.

I claim as my invention-- The safety-rail A, with its loop B, and the lever attachment rein grip orlock C,with thimble D, the entire apparatussecured to the body of the vehicle with half-staples and bolts and nuts, as shown and described.

FREDERICK W. KROEBER.

Vi tn esses:

D. B. CARVER, D. SHAKEsPEAR, 

